Chapter Three

Liana didn't let go of Sebastian.

She hadn't let go since the moment he pulled her into his arms, and she didn't let go now, even as the doctor slipped back into the room and hovered near the bed, his bag in hand and a careful, apologetic look on his face. Her fingers stayed knotted in the front of Sebastian's shirt, as though the instant she released him, the nightmare would begin again.

Sebastian understood. He didn't ask her to let go. Instead, he swept his gaze over the doctor and the attendants waiting at his back. "Out."

The doctor hesitated. "She needs—"

"I said out."

One by one, they filed from the room. Sebastian waited until the door closed behind the last of them before turning back to Liana. She was still trembling, her face pressed to his chest, her breathing ragged, her arms locked around him with a desperate strength that made his own chest ache.

"They're gone," he murmured. She didn't answer. "No one is touching you." Her grip only tightened.

He slid an arm beneath her knees and lifted her without effort. "Come on."

He carried her downstairs himself. The entire household had already been ordered to keep out of sight, with no servants, no guards, and no doctors allowed anywhere near her unless he called for them. In the kitchen, he settled her into a chair and began preparing something warm. She watched him the whole time, saying little, following every movement with exhausted eyes, as if she needed to make sure he hadn't vanished.

When he set the bowl in front of her, she stared at it. "I'm not hungry."

"You are."

"I don't want to eat."

"You haven't eaten since yesterday."

She frowned. "You're keeping track?"

"I keep track of everything that concerns you."

Her eyes lifted to his, and for a long moment neither of them spoke. Then she picked up the spoon.

Sebastian stayed at her side. When her hand began to shake again, he took the bowl from her gently and fed her himself. She didn't protest. She only leaned closer, letting him take care of her, and by the time she finished, exhaustion had claimed her completely.

He carried her back upstairs, and she curled against him at once, her cheek resting on his chest. "Don't leave me," she whispered.

His arms tightened around her. "I won't."

He took her to his own bedroom and sat against the headboard with her in his arms. Her eyes were already drifting shut, but she fought sleep for several minutes, and every time she stirred, her fingers searched for him. Every time, he was there. At last her breathing slowed and her body softened against his, and she slept.

Sebastian didn't move. He looked down at her face, at the faint bruises darkening around her throat, and something dark stirred behind his eyes. Someone had tried to kill his mate, and they had known exactly who she was.

His phone began to vibrate. He glanced at the screen. *Jonathan Whitmore.*

He eased Liana onto the mattress, drew the blanket over her, and stepped out of the room before answering. "What?"

Jonathan didn't waste a second. "You did this."

Sebastian stopped halfway down the stairs, his expression hardening. "What did you say?"

"You heard me." Jonathan's voice shook with cold fury. "This attack on my daughter wasn't random. You used her to send me a message."

Sebastian's jaw tightened. "You're accusing me of attacking Liana?"

"I'm accusing you of using my daughter to defend your kind."

A dangerous silence followed, and Jonathan pressed on. "You want humans to fear you. You want governments to back down. You want us to learn what happens when we threaten supernatural interests."

Sebastian's voice dropped. "Watch yourself."

"No, you watch yourself, Devereux. My daughter was attacked on a route known to only a handful of people."

"You think I planned that?"

"I think you have every reason to."

Sebastian let out a short, humorless breath. "You're fucking delusional."

"My daughter is in your house."

"Because I saved her."

"And you expect me to believe that?"

"I don't give a damn what you believe."

"Get her back here." Jonathan's voice sharpened. "You have one hour."

"You don't give me orders."

"She is my daughter."

"Then you should have protected her."

The silence on the line was immediate, and Sebastian didn't let it settle. "She was attacked because your security failed. Her guards were slaughtered. She was left alone in the middle of a war zone, with a vampire's hand around her throat."

Jonathan's breathing grew heavier. "I know what happened."

"No, you don't." Sebastian's voice turned vicious. "If I had arrived seconds later, your daughter would be dead."

"You're the reason she's a target."

"And you're the reason she was unprotected."

"You're manipulating this situation."

"Fuck your accusations."

Jonathan fell silent. Sebastian's gaze drifted toward the bedroom upstairs, and when he spoke again, his voice was low and rough. "She was shaking so badly she couldn't stand. She wouldn't let go of me." Jonathan said nothing. "She fell asleep in my arms because she was too terrified to be alone." His fingers tightened around the phone until the casing creaked. "And you have the fucking nerve to accuse me?"

Jonathan's voice returned, harder than before. "Bring her home."

"No."

"Sebastian—"

"She stays with me."

"She is not yours to keep."

Something in Sebastian's face went cold. "She is the woman I nearly watched die tonight."

"She's my daughter."

"And you failed her."

Jonathan cursed. "Don't you dare—"

"If I'd known you were this incapable of protecting your own daughter, I would have taken her the moment I knew she was my mate." Sebastian looked toward the staircase again, and his voice fell to something quiet and dangerous. "I would have taken her away from all of this before anyone could touch her."

"You're not taking my daughter anywhere."

Sebastian's eyes hardened. "Then start protecting her."

He ended the call.

For a long moment, he stood alone in the silence. Upstairs, Liana slept in his bed, knowing nothing of the call, nothing of her father's accusations, nothing of his demand that she be brought home. And she certainly didn't know that one sentence had just dragged Sebastian back to the moment he first saw her.

The moment he realized she was his mate.

*One Year Earlier.*